Schools to be graded on achievement gap

By Jennifer Radcliffe

Updated 2:12 am, Friday, November 16, 2012

“Acceptable” no longer is good enough for Texas schools.

Education Commissioner Mike Williams said Thursday that the state's yet-to-be-labeled rating system, to be unveiled in March, will include a measure of how well schools and districts are doing in closing the achievement gap that persists among poor and minority students.

“It's going to be a more accurate and complete assessment than what we currently have,” Williams said.

The formula for the revamped rankings, mandated by the Legislature in 2009 to accompany the new State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, also will factor in test scores, student gains and a post-high school readiness measure, said Williams, who was appointed commissioner in late August.

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Williams wouldn't specify whether schools will get number scores, letter grades or new titles, but the current categories of “exemplary,” “recognized,” “acceptable” or “unacceptable” will be jettisoned, officials said.

“Staff is working on that right now to see if we can come up with the best way to communicate that,” Williams said.

He also said he wants the achievement gap measure to weigh more heavily than the other three components.

About 63 percent of Texas' 4.9 million schoolchildren are black or Hispanic, and another 60 percent are considered economically disadvantaged, according to 2011 data.

Schools will receive the initial ratings in August.

Currently, ratings are based almost exclusively on student test scores. A school can fall into the dreaded unacceptable category if a single subgroup of students — including minority, low-income and special-needs children — fails to meet the minimum score.

Educators consider the current system punitive.

“We called it death by cell,” said David Anthony, chief executive officer of Raise Your Hand Texas, a nonprofit advocacy group. “All good work could be negated by one area.”

Under the old system, principals could pinpoint, for instance, that low-income fourth-graders cost their school a coveted “recognized” or “exemplary” rating. Such labels can impact everything from campus funding to property values.

The new system is likely to include accolades for schools with successful career and technology education or fine arts programs, among other distinctions, Williams said.

Bob Sanborn, president of Children at Risk, said work on the new rankings seems to be headed in the right direction.

“If we can find a fair and transparent measure that truly measures growth in schools, that would be a very good thing,” he said.

Houston ISD board member Harvin Moore hopes the new rating system is more challenging.

“It was getting to where too many schools were rated at the top level and it becomes fairly meaningless,” he said.

In 2011, about 88 percent of Texas districts either were “recognized” or “acceptable.”